don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Do you think there might be a connection between a bad hair day and your level of well-being, or your ability to pursue, attain, and sustain a self-managing lifestyle? Don't laugh -- a recent AP story contained this headline: People's self-esteem goes awry when their hair is out of place, according to a Yale University researcher's study of the psychology behind bad hair days.

It sounds preposterous but this research, funded by Procter & Gamble, could certainly lead one to think that there is such a connection. Of course, when you consider that P&G makes hair care products, you have to be suspicious! Just the same, the report did suggest that personal appearance, especially for adolescents, has an enormous effect on health, especially with males! During bad hair days, males feel less smart, less capable, more embarrassed, and less sociable.

For the study, researchers questioned 60 men and 60 women ages 17 to 30, most of them Yale students. One investigator, who has also studied the psychology of smiles, facial expressions, and body language, said she would continue to look into the effects of bad hair. "We all do research that at first pass might seem quite small," she said. "Yes, some of my colleagues said, 'That's interesting, ha, ha.' But then, when we talk about it, people are interested."

People have always been interested in their hair. I remember a ditty by Gelett Burgess (Nonsense Verses) that goes:

I'd rather have Fingers than Toes, I'd rather have Eyes than a Nose, And as for my Hair I'm glad it's all there, I'll be awfully sad when it goes.

I can see why the researcher's colleagues are interested in this connection. After all, people also buy magazines at supermarket checkout counters, especially those that contain predictions from Nostradamous, but that does not mean all such information is valid.

Anything that affects your outlook, confidence, sense of optimism, and the like will affect your mindset for living a wellness lifestyle and your ability to self-manage for optimal health and personal effectiveness. I suppose this includes how your hair looks on any given day.

Instead of fretting about your hair, why not resolve to get lots of exercise, have fun, find challenging things to do, and further hone the kind of skills that are crucial to self-management? You'll be surprised how much better your hair will look when you have all these things going for you.

Be well, enjoy and look on the bright side.

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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